Symphony of a Beast
by Xfullmetalninjax
Summary: A lone deathclaw, who wishes harm to no man, desires to have a life not built on survival and yearns to see the world, no matter how destroyed it is.


_Neither a lofty degree of intelligence nor imagination nor both together go to the making of genius. Love, love, love, that is the soul of genius._  
><strong>-Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart<strong>

The wasteland was a desolate place. Full of death.

Though not entirely devoid of life.

Small settlements existed where people gathered and survived together through hard work and determination. There were those few who dared venture into the wasteland either to gather supplies from ruined neighborhoods or cities, and those who just wanted to have some action. Sure they got their action, with a bullet to their knee. Then there was no more fun for them. Though that was just one outcome, for many others it was a painful death of being shot by cold-hearted raiders or being eaten by a variety of the mutated wasteland life. Ironic, that a wasteland has life.

But not all creatures were that way. For out in the wasteland, lurking inside Deathclaw Sanctuary, lied a deathclaw who resented its siblings and refused to eat any meat. Unlike his brothers, he cared for life. Instead the deathclaw stuck to eating mushrooms from the ground and only had meat if it was desperate for food, as it did understand the need for survival. Though it ate mushrooms mostly. And as it ate mushrooms, an interesting thing occurred. The mushrooms increased his intellect. Apparently they mutated his brain for the better. As his consciousness grew bigger and bigger each passing day, the more he wanted to leave his brothers and be with people. Though he knew he couldn't do that. For they would simply shoot him on sight as his kind are regarded as some of the fiercest beasts in the wasteland.

To gain a better grasp on people, each time he ventured out into the wastes, he would try to find at least one book. He gathered a whole collection of books and read each one. Before he did though, he found audio tapes along with notes in an abandoned vault that contained several pieces of music. Some he disregarded, as it gave him violent urges which he resented. With them, he learned English, Spanish, and even learned about the Theory of Relativity. Everytime he attempted to share his knowledge with his kind, they shunned him and proceeded to devouring their latest kill. He felt sooner or later that he would have to leave, not because they would kick him out, but because he couldn't stand talking to monsters.

To set himself apart from the monsters, he gave himself a name. Amadeus. The name was found in a number of books he scavenged. They spoke of a composer named Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. In the many audio tapes he found, a few were labled interesting names such as "Symphony 40", "Symphony 25", "Requiem", and several more. Amadeus was particularly fond of "Symphony 40". He listened to it when he couldn't stand the monstronsity of his siblings, or even his own. Everytime he looked in a puddle or into the river splitting the wasteland, he found anguish at the sight of his own form. _I wish I were human_, he thought. I'm sorry to say that he never recieves that wish. But things turn for the better.

The sun shined in through the cracks in the cave. Amadeus nose twitched at the heat. He raised his head off the pillow he rested on. And yes. he had a pillow. For he found the ground too hard, and never understood why his siblings never sought greater comfort. The only issue with pillows was his horns constantly tore them apart. He was on his 8th pillow; soon to be 9th as he arose to another ripped pillow. The deathclaw breathed heavily saddened that he'll never be able to have the comfort people do. Or his worse regret, never be able to share his knowledge with them. He stretched his arms out, ready for another day that's focused on simply survival. The scent of brahmin blood and a human snuck into his senses. A caravan group has become this mornings breakfast. It sickened him. Sickened him to the extent he wanted to fall back asleep and forget his troubles. He sat down and wished for a chance. A chance to see the world and not be judged by appearance. He even wanted to fall in love. He wanted life.

*BANG*

Amadeus raised his head in a instant. _Gunshot_? A human is here. Rising up, another shot was heard, followed by the screams of his siblings. _They're going to kill him_. The sentence rung in his head. Rushing towards the screams of his siblings, he found the body of one of his kind. A clean bullet hole in the head. There may have been a time when he would regret to see a fellow deathclaw dead. But those days were long forgotten, and by God he was proud of that. Another shot roared in the cave.

Heading towards the sound, the smell of gunpowder grew as he realized he was getting closer. Another screech came. He killed another. Amadeus sprinted towards the origin of the shot hoping to find him before his remaining siblings do, as no man can take down a whole cave of deathclaws. One more roar from a deathclaw. But it wasn't one of pain, it was one of victory. The lone deathclaw found a group of deathclaws and in between them he saw a lone man holding a hunting rifle. Under his ragged torn leather armor was a deep wound from one of his kind's sharp claws. _They're going to kill him_, rung again. There was only one thing he could do. A roar emitted from his throat. His siblings turned around surprised. They were all silent. Except the man, who shivered at Amadeus' roar and to the pain of his wound.

Visions of seeing his guts fly out before his eyes soared through his mind. Trembling at the sight of the lone deathclaw who soon stepped towards him, he tried to pull his rifle up fighting back at the pain in his chest. He clicked the trigger. Silence. His weapon was jammed. The man quaked more. Amadeus grabbed the man by the leg and dragged him away. Every deathclaw in the cave was silent, but happy as their brother who vowed to never eat human is now going to devour his very first one.


End file.
